Pantyhose under garment

ABSTRACT

A pantyhose garment is provided that has relatively sheer leg portions that end with knitted-in welts just below or above the knees, and a reinforced control top portion having good shaping and control characteristics that terminates at the top of the waist region with a knitted-in welt. The pantyhose under garment provides the user with shaping support, and because the lower leg is bare, it gives the user the freedom to wear any type of shoe (i.e., open-toed shoes, sandals, etc.). Pantyhose worn with open-toed shoes are usually undesirable, and also dangerous because the foot may slip in the shoe due to the lack of friction between the pantyhose and the shoe. In addition, there are many occasions when the user wants a more casual look in clothing, and therefore pantyhose on the foot and ankle would not be desired. The reinforced control top portion extends down the leg portions of the pantyhose far enough to provide support over the “saddlebag” and cellulite regions of the body. The knitted-in welt at the waist region blends into the control top without causing waist constriction. Similarly, the knitted-in welts at the ends of the leg portions blend into the leg portions without causing leg constriction. The overall design provides the user with a smooth, tight appearance when worn under clothing, without causing the user to suffer discomfort.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a pantyhose under garment and,more particularly, to a pantyhose under garment having sheer legportions that end with knitted-in welts just below or above the kneesand a control top portion having good shaping and controlcharacteristics that terminates in the waist region with a knitted-inwelt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A strong need exists for women to have an alternative undergarment to traditional underwear and girdles. Traditional underwearcreates undesirable panty lines under clothing, especially when wornwith slim fitting skirts and slacks. Also, in addition to panty lines,traditional underwear can become easily misplaced, causing discomfort tothe wearer. This also creates bulges under clothing. One alternative totraditional underwear is underwear known as a “g-string”. This type ofunderwear is comprised of one piece of fabric that goes up the buttocksof the user so that panty lines do not occur. However, this undergarment offers no support and is extremely uncomfortable to some usersand may not be an option at all for users with vulvar conditions such asvulvar vestibulitis.

[0003] These types of under garments do not provide the user with animproved appearance under clothing and can be uncomfortable.Furthermore, they do not hold in bulges and cellulite on the mosttroubled areas of some users. These areas, known as “saddlebags”, arebelow the buttocks on the back and sides of the thighs just below thehips. Although girdles cover these areas, they normally are made ofrelatively thick material and tend to stop above the knee, which createsbulges in clothing about the user's thigh. Also, the thick fabricusually makes the user look heavier rather than thinner in slim fittingclothing.

[0004] Although pantyhose can now be manufactured in such a way thatpanty lines are often prevented, they are not an option in many casesbecause the leg portions of pantyhose usually cover the feet. Therefore,the pantyhose would be visible when worn under certain types ofclothing, which normally is undesirable. For example, pants that stopbelow the knees, typically referred to as “capri pants”, would not beworn with normal pantyhose because the pantyhose would be visible. Also,pantyhose are not desired while wearing most stylish shoes (i.e.,open-toed shoes, sandals, etc.).

[0005] Although pantyhose designs are known which do not cover the feet,those designs do not solve all of the aforementioned problems. U.S. Pat.No. 4,351,068 discloses a footless pantyhose design. One of theobjectives of this design is to provide air ventilation to the foot toprevent “athlete's foot” from occurring. However, the upper reinforcedportion of the pantyhose, often referred to as the control top, does notextend down over the region where the need for support is often thegreatest, i.e., the “saddlebag” region. Also, the waist and leg portionshave elastic bands at their points of termination. Elastic bands aretight on the skin and, in many cases, leave indentations in the skin andmay cut off circulation causing extreme discomfort for the user.Furthermore, elastic bands are not produced during the knitting process,i.e.; they are not knitted in during the knitting of the hose. Rather,they are sewn on after the hose have been knitted. In addition, the legportions of this design extend to the ankle and, therefore, would bevisible when worn under capri pants or with open-toed shoes. Also, whenwomen cross their legs, most pants rise up on the leg and, therefore,the pantyhose may be visible even when worn with normal length pants,which is also normally undesirable.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,523 discloses a pantyhose garment having legportions that terminate at the ankle. One of the objectives of thisdesign is to help prevent sagging of soft body tissues. The garment haselastic bands running throughout it. As stated above, elastic bandsbulge and create lines that can be seen under clothing and can producediscomfort. U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,537 discloses a multisectional hosierygarment that has detachable feet and leg sections. This design isintended to prevent the entire pantyhose from being ruined if a “run”occurs in a portion of the garment. The design is also intended toaccommodate several different fashion purposes. The different sectionsare attached with elastic bands, which have the aforementioneddisadvantages. A garment having this design would not provide the userwith a slimmer or smoother appearance.

[0007] Accordingly, a need exists for a comfortable pantyhose garmentthat doesnt cover the lower legs or feet and that provides support inthe thigh, buttocks and waist regions to help minimize or eliminate theappearance of “saddlebags”. A need also exists for such a pantyhosegarment is manufactured in a continuous knitting process so that thesupportive regions blend in with the more sheer regions without creatingseams or bands that can easily be seen through clothing.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0008] The present invention provides a pantyhose under garment havingrelatively sheer leg portions that end with knitted-in welts just belowor above the knees, and a reinforced control top portion having goodshaping and control characteristics that terminates at the top of thewaist region with a knitted-in welt. The pantyhose under garmentprovides the user with shaping support and because the lower leg is bareit gives the user the freedom to wear any type of shoe (i.e., open-toedshoes, sandals, etc.). Pantyhose worn with open shoes are usuallyundesirable, and also dangerous because the foot slips in the shoe. Inaddition, there are many occasions when the user wants a more casuallook in clothing, and therefore pantyhose on the foot and ankle wouldnot be desired. The reinforced control top portion extends down the legportions of the pantyhose far enough to provide support over the“saddlebag” and cellulite regions of the body. The knitted-in welt atthe waist region blends into the control top without causing waistconstriction. Similarly, the knitted-in welts at the ends of the legportions blend into the leg portions without causing leg constriction.The overall design provides the user with a smooth, tight appearancewhen worn under clothing, without causing the user to suffer discomfort.

[0009] These and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following description, drawings andclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 illustrates the pantyhose under garment of the presentinvention in accordance with the one embodiment wherein the leg portionsof the pantyhose undergarment terminate just below the knees.

[0011]FIG. 2 illustrates the pantyhose under garment of the presentinvention in accordance with another embodiment wherein the leg portionsof the pantyhose undergarment terminate on the thighs above the knees.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The under garment of the present invention in accordance with oneembodiment wherein the leg portions terminate just below the knees isshown in FIG. 1. The under garment of the present invention inaccordance with another embodiment wherein the leg portions terminateabove the knee is shown in FIG. 2. With reference to each figure, thesame numerals will be used to describe like elements. The under garment1 may be manufactured in a conventional manner with conventional knittedfabric materials, such as, for example, nylon, lycra®, spandex, silk,cotton, etc. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the undergarments 1 and 2 are manufactured on a circular hosiery knitting machineusing a circular hosiery knitting process. As stated above, rather thanusing elastic bands, knitted-in welts are knitted in during the knittingprocess at the waist-terminating region and at the leg terminatingregions. This enables the garment to be manufactured in one, continuousknitting process, as opposed to performing an additional manufacturingprocess after the knitting process has been performed in order to attachelastic bands, as in the aforementioned prior art. Circular knittingmachines and processes are well known. Those skilled in the art willunderstand the manner in which the garments 1 and 2 of the presentinvention can be manufactured using such a machine and process.

[0013] The pantyhose garment 1 comprises two leg portions 3 and 4 and acontrol top portion 5. The control top portion 5 of the garment 1preferably is terminated at the waist with a knitted-in welt 6. The welt6 preferably ranges from 1 to 3 inches in width. The leg portions 3 and4 preferably are terminated with knitted-in welts 7 and 8 just below theknees. Preferably, the welts 7 and 8 range from 1 to 3 inches in width.However, those skilled in the art will understand that the widths of theleg and waistbands are not limited to any particular widths. The welts6, 7 and 8 provide a snug fit on the user's legs and waist withoutoverly constricting these areas. The crotch 9 is made of cotton. Thecrotch 9 preferably is sewn onto the garment 1 after the knittingprocess has been performed. The control top portion 5 is thicker thanthe leg portions 3 and 4 to provide additional support for the buttocksand upper thigh regions. The differences in thickness between the waistband, leg bands, control top and leg portions are indicated by thedarker and lighter shaded areas, i.e., the darker the shading, thethicker the garment portion, the lighter the shading the sheerer thegarment portion.

[0014] The control top portion 5 also preferably extends down the legportions 3 and 4, preferably approximately 8 to 13 inches below wherethe leg portions 3 and 4 begin. The lines 11 and 12 indicate thelocations where the control top portion 5 ends and the leg portions 3and 4 begin. Preferably, the control top portion 5 is manufactured usinga plane-knit process. In accordance with one embodiment, each of thefour feeds contains a single yarn. Preferably, the first coarse is alycra® yarn, which is a product of Dupont Chemical Corporation, orspandex yarn, which is a more generic term for the same or substantiallysimilar material manufactured by many different manufacturers.Preferably, the spandex or lycra® has a denier of 120, but may rangefrom approximately 60 to approximately 150 in denier.

[0015] The second coarse is a nylon yarn, preferably a 7034 texturednylon having a denier ranging from approximately 40 to approximately100. The third coarse preferably is identical to the first course. Thefourth coarse preferably is identical to the second coarse.Alternatively, the plane-knit process used for the control top couldutilize a 7034 textured nylon and a 120-denier spandex or lycra® yarn.Before transferring from the control top to the knitting of the sheerleg portions 3 and 4, a 3×1 T-bar is knitted in so that the crotch,which preferably is cotton, can later be sewn on.

[0016] In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the order in which the garment is manufactured is as follows:the knitted-in welts 7 and 8 that terminate the leg portions 3 and 4 areknitted first, the leg portions 3 and 4 are knitted next, the controltop 5 is knitted after the leg portions 3 and 4, and the knitted-in welt6 comprising the waistband is knitted last. This enables the knittingprocess to end with the knitting of the waistband, which is preferableto the knitting process ending with the knitting of the knitted-in weltscomprising the leg bands. This is because, wherever the knitting processends, a porting of the knitted material will remain. Throughexperimentation, it has been determined that for reasons of comfort andaesthetic appearances, this order provides the best results. However,those skilled in the art will understand that the garment 1 of thepresent invention is not limited with respect to the order in which thevarious portions of the garment 1 are knitted.

[0017] The leg portions 3 and 4 preferably are very sheer in order tomaximize comfort for the user. When manufacturing the leg portions 3 and4, the knitting process transfers to a plane-knit process after theknitted-welts 7 and 8 terminating the leg portions 3 and 4 have beencompleted. The plane-knit process corresponds to what is commonlyreferred to as the all-knit process, which means that all four feeds areup. Preferably, a 20/10/7 lycra® or spandex yarn is used in the firstand third feeds. This corresponds to a 20-denier lycra® or spandex yarncovered with a 10 denier textured nylon yarn with 7 filaments. Thesecond and fourth feeds preferably contain 15/7 textured yarns. The legportions 3 and 4 preferably are comprised of a material ranging from anapproximately 7 to approximately 40 denier nylon yarn and anapproximately 10/7 to an approximately 40/13 lycra® yarn.

[0018] The knitted-in welts 6, 7 and 8 comprise the thickest areas ofthe garment 1. The control top portion 5 is thicker than the legportions 3 and 4 to provide additional support, and as stated above,extends over the “saddlebag regions”. The knitted-in welt 6 comprisingthe waistband preferably is manufactured as follows. All of the feedspreferably use the same yarns, which is a 360-denier yarn manufacturedby Globe Manufacturers. A 1×1 yarn selection is contained on the firstfeed. A 1×1 selection means that 1 of the needles is up whereas theother is down. The second feed preferably utilizes a plane-knitselection, which means that all needles are up. The third feedpreferably utilizes a 1×1 alternate, which means that whatever needlewas facing up on feed 1, the corresponding needle on feed 3 is facingdown. Feeds 2 and 4 utilize a plane-knit selection, which means allneedles are up. Preferably, a single rubber yarn is knitted into theknitted-in welt 6 to ensure that the waistband and is secured about thewaist of the user. However, the rubber yarn is optional because thedenier used in this region is believed to be sufficient to provide theneeded support. Also, the single rubber yarn should not be confused withthe aforementioned elastic bands that were used as the waistbands inprior art designs. The present invention utilizes the knitted-in weltsto produce the waist and leg bands so that the discomfort and otherdisadvantages associated with elastic bands are avoided. It should alsobe noted that where a 1×1 selection has been specified above, a 3×1selection could be used instead.

[0019] The knitted-in welts 7 and 8 comprising the leg bands aremanufactured identically to the manner in which the knitted-in welt 6comprising the waistband is manufactured, except that the singleoptional rubber yarn used in the knitted-in welt 6 comprising thewaistband is not needed in the knitted-in welts 7 and 8 comprising theleg bands. However, a rubber yarn may be used in the knitted-in welts 7and 8 comprising the leg bands if desired.

[0020]FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present inventionwherein the knitted-in welts 7 and 8 comprising the leg bands are abovethe knee. This garment 2 preferably is identical to the garment 1 shownin FIG. 1 in all other respects. Therefore, a detailed discussion of thegarment 2 shown in FIG. 2 will not be provided herein in the interest ofbrevity.

[0021] Those skilled in the art will understand that the presentinvention is not limited with respect to the denier or yarns used forthe different portions of the garments 1 and 2. The selections, yarnsand deniers specified above are simply the preferred embodiments. Thoseskilled in the art will understand that many modifications may be madeto the present invention and that all such modifications are within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pantyhose garment comprising: a waistband beingcomprised of a knitted-in welt, the knitted-in welt comprising the waistband being comprised of at least one type of yarn having a denierranging from approximately a first denier to approximately a seconddenier; a control top portion knitted to the waistband, the control topportion being comprised of at least one type of yarn having a denierranging from approximately a third denier to approximately a fourthdenier; first and second leg portions, each leg portion being comprisedof at least one type of yarn having a denier ranging from approximatelya fifth denier to approximately a sixth denier; and first and second legbands, the first and second leg bands being comprised of first andsecond knitted-in welts, respectively, the knitted-in welts terminatingthe leg bands being comprised of at least one type of yarn having adenier ranging from approximately said first denier to approximatelysaid second denier, the first and second leg bands terminating the firstand second leg portions below and in proximity to knees of a personwearing the pantyhose garment, wherein the sixth denier is greater thanthe fifth denier and less than the fourth denier, the fourth denier isgreater than the third denier and less than the second denier, and thesecond denier is greater than the first denier.
 2. The pantyhose garmentof claim 1 , wherein the waistband and the leg bands are each comprisedof a single yarn and wherein said first denier is approximately 160 andsaid second denier is approximately
 360. 3. The pantyhose of claim 1 ,wherein the waistband and the leg bands are each comprised of a singleyarn having a denier of approximately
 360. 4. The pantyhose garment ofclaim 1 , wherein the control top extends a predetermined distance downthe thighs of the wearer, and wherein the control top is knitted usingat least a first yarn and a second yarn, the first yarn corresponding tospandex having a denier ranging from approximately 60 to approximately150, and wherein the second yarn corresponds to a nylon yarn having adenier ranging from approximately 40 to approximately
 100. 5. Thepantyhose garment of claim 1 , wherein the control top extends apredetermined distance down the thighs of the wearer, and wherein thecontrol top is knitted using at least a first yarn and a second yarn,the first yarn corresponding to lycra® having a denier ranging fromapproximately 60 to approximately 150, and wherein the second yarncorresponds to a nylon yarn having a denier ranging from approximately40 to approximately
 100. 6. The pantyhose garment of claim 1 , whereineach of the leg portions is knitted using at least first and secondyarns, the first yarn corresponding to a spandex-like yarn and thesecond yarn corresponding to textured nylon.
 7. The pantyhose garment ofclaim 1 , wherein each of the leg portions is knitted using anapproximately 20 denier spandex-like yarn covered with an approximately10 denier textured nylon.
 8. A pantyhose garment comprising: a waistbandbeing comprised of a knitted-in welt, the knitted-in welt comprising thewaist band being comprised of at least one type of yarn having a denierranging from approximately a first denier to approximately a seconddenier; a control top portion knitted to the waistband, the control topportion being comprised of at least one type of yarn having a denierranging from approximately a third denier to approximately a fourthdenier; first and second leg portions, each leg portion being comprisedof at least one type of yarn having a denier ranging from approximatelya fifth denier to approximately a sixth denier; and first and second legbands, the first and second leg bands being comprised of first andsecond knitted-in welts, respectively, the knitted-in welts terminatingthe leg bands being comprised of at least one type of yarn having adenier ranging from approximately said first denier to approximatelysaid second denier, the first and second leg bands terminating the firstand second leg portions above knees of a person wearing the pantyhosegarment, wherein the sixth denier is greater than the fifth denier andless than the fourth denier, the fourth denier is greater than the thirddenier and less than the second denier, and the second denier is greaterthan the first denier.
 9. The pantyhose garment of claim 8 , wherein thewaistband and the leg bands are each comprised of a single yarn andwherein said first denier is approximately 160 and said second denier isapproximately
 360. 10. The pantyhose of claim 8 , wherein the waistbandand the leg bands are each comprised of a single yarn having a denier ofapproximately
 360. 11. The pantyhose garment of claim 8 , wherein thecontrol top extends a predetermined distance down the thighs of thewearer, and wherein the control top is knitted using at least a firstyarn and a second yarn, the first yarn corresponding to spandex having adenier ranging from approximately 60 to approximately 150, and whereinthe second yarn corresponds to a nylon yarn having a denier ranging fromapproximately 40 to approximately
 100. 12. The pantyhose garment ofclaim 8 , wherein the control top extends a predetermined distance downthe thighs of the wearer, and wherein the control top is knitted usingat least a first yarn and a second yarn, the first yarn corresponding tolycra® having a denier ranging from approximately 60 to approximately150, and wherein the second yarn corresponds to a nylon yarn having adenier ranging from approximately 40 to approximately
 100. 13. Thepantyhose garment of claim 8 , wherein each of the leg portions isknitted using at least first and second yarns, the first yarncorresponding to a spandex-like yarn and the second yarn correspondingto textured nylon.
 14. The pantyhose garment of claim 8 , wherein eachof the leg portions is knitted using an approximately 20 denierspandex-like yarn covered with an approximately 10 denier texturednylon.
 15. A method for manufacturing a pantyhose garment in acontinuous knitting process, the method comprising the steps of:knitting first and second leg bands, the first and second leg bandsbeing comprised of first and second knitted-in welts, respectively, theknitted-in welts terminating the leg bands being comprised of at leastone type of yarn having a denier ranging from approximately a firstdenier to approximately a second denier, the first and second leg bandsterminating the first and second leg portions between the upper thighsand the ankles of a person wearing the pantyhose garment; once the firstand second leg bands have been knitted, making a transfer to knittingfirst and second leg portions, each leg portion being comprised of atleast one type of yarn having a denier ranging from approximately athird denier to approximately a fourth denier; once the first and secondleg portions have been knitted, making a transfer to knitting a controltop portion, the control top portion being comprised of at least onetype of yarn having a denier ranging from approximately a fifth denierto approximately a sixth denier; and once the control top portion hasbeen knitted, making a transfer to knitting a waistband, the waistbandbeing comprised of a knitted-in welt, the knitted-in welt comprising thewaist band being comprised of at least one type of yarn having a denierranging from approximately said first denier to approximately saidsecond denier, wherein the denier of the leg portions is less than thedenier of the leg bands and waistband, and wherein the denier of thecontrol top portion is greater than the denier of the first and secondleg portions.
 16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the waistband and theleg bands are each comprised of a single yarn and wherein said firstdenier is approximately 160 and said second denier is approximately 360.17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the waistband and the leg bands areeach comprised of a single yarn having a denier of approximately 360.18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the control top portion extends apredetermined distance down the thighs of the wearer, and wherein thecontrol top portion is knitted using at least a first yarn and a secondyarn, the first yarn responding to spandex-like yarn having a denierranging from approximately 60 to approximately 150, and wherein thesecond yarn corresponds to a nylon yarn having a denier ranging fromapproximately 40 to approximately
 100. 19. The method of claim 15 ,wherein the control top extends a predetermined distance down the thighsof the wearer, and wherein the control top is knitted using at least afirst yarn and a second yarn, the first yarn corresponding to lycra®having a denier ranging from approximately 60 to approximately 150, andwherein the second yarn corresponds to a nylon yarn having a denierranging from approximately 40 to approximately
 100. 20. The method ofclaim 15 , wherein each of the leg portions is knitted using at leastfirst and second yarns, the first yarn corresponding to a spandex-likeyarn and the second yarn corresponding to textured nylon.